Assane, based in Brooklyn, New York, hails from Northern Senegal. Rooted in a Toucouleur and Senegalese cultural context, he brings a thoughtful lens to the evolving rapport between tradition, culture, and self. His work has been recognized as an influential effort to craft a distinct visual language for a new and emerging generation of photographers. With Portraiture, Fashion, Fine Art, and Photo documentary as central prisms of exploration, Assane builds visually rich narratives that reflect communities navigating multiple cultural worlds.
A committed storyteller and visual documentarian, Assane’s work emphasizes care, dignity, and presence—foregrounding subjects who are deeply embedded in both local and global cultural currents but often excluded from the authority to name their impact. His photographs have been exhibited widely, including at The Brooklyn Museum, The Africa Center, the International Center of Photography, Photoville, Soho House, Der Greif, The Wild Project Gallery, ArtsConnection, Soho Photo Gallery, and, most recently, the 2025 New York Lives Art Gallery.
Assane is a proud alumnus of the International Center of Photography, the MoMA Department of Education, ArtsConnection, and the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program (2025 cohort). Currently, he is selected for the prestigious Fujifilm x Penumbra Foundation Internship and was named one of ten finalists for the 2025 Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Art. His work was also featured in Essence magazine and included in a book publication produced by The SIFE Equity Project in collaboration with the California Department of Education (2024).
Beyond his artistic practice, Assane is deeply engaged in community outreach and arts education. He has served as a guest speaker at the Packer Collegiate Institute and the Fashion Institute of Technology during the 2024-2025 school year, and was a judge for Packer’s 2025 student final competition. In 2024, he was invited to deliver the graduation address for the 2023–2024 class at Pathways to Graduation, a New York City public school supporting immigrant students. His dedication to uplifting young artists was also reflected in ArtsConnection’s 2024 Benefit Festival, where three of his works sold at the highest bids.
Assane is a co-founder of two community platforms: Jollof Films, a nonprofit cinema club dedicated to honoring African cinema pioneers and inspiring diasporic filmmakers, and WESHHH, a multidisciplinary artist collective dedicated to building a strong, inclusive community for creatives within the African, Caribbean, and Black diaspora. Through all his endeavors, Assane continues to challenge and expand the boundaries of how cultural identity is framed, claimed, and shared.